A Contract Coordination Model of Dual-Channel Delivery between UAVs and Couriers Considering the Uncertainty of Delivery for Last Mile

Abstract

For the traditional last-kilometer delivery, commodities are sent from the distribution center to the distribution transfer station, which are then delivered by the couriers from the distribution transfer station to the consumers. This single distribution channel cannot prioritize services for consumers closer to the distribution center, resulting in a waste of distribution resources. To deal with the last-kilometer delivery problem, this paper attempts to build a dual-channel distribution system consisting of UAVs and couriers. And the impact of the market allocation proportion on the expected profit of the last mile service through the two different distribution channels is discussed and analyzed. It is proved that the improved revenue sharing contract can realize the coordination of the dual-channel distribution between UAVs and the couriers. The numerical examples verify the effectiveness of the model and contract coordination. According to the research, first, with the increase in the uncertainties of the delivery quantity, the profit of the UAV channel shows a downward trend, while the profit of the courier channel remains basically the same. This is because the labor cost of the courier channel is relatively stable. Second, with the increase in the market allocation proportion of the last-kilometer delivery, the optimal delivery quantity of the UAV channel and the optimal order quantity of the courier channel are both increasing, while the overall profit of the last-kilometer is first rising and then decreasing. Third, the expected profit of the UAV channel and the courier channel can achieve Pareto improvement through the improved revenue sharing contract.